My name is Paul and I am the founder of Project Open Paw, an organization dedicated to feeding and taking care of the furry companions of the homeless here in San Francisco, California. I am determined to carry on the legacy of love and joy that these beautiful dogs and I have shared.

It all started about 5 years ago when I was working at a local dog boarding and day care facility. I couldn’t help but notice that there was a lot of dog food being thrown away for no good reason. Rather than let it go to waste, I started rescuing that food and delivering it to the many homeless dogs I saw in the encampments around the area. It didn’t take long before I became known as the doggy food man and a bit of a dog guru to the folks out there.

It was all going wonderfully until my dog food supply was cut off but I knew that couldn’t be the end. This little project I had started had made such an overwhelmingly positive impact on my life and those I had been helping that there was absolutely no way I was giving this up! So I started coming up with a plan on how I could raise money. GoFundMe was a new thing that I had seen some of my younger coworkers using to fund their education and it just clicked!

I started this GoFundMe account and began posting pictures of my beloved mutts on social media and Project Open Paw got its wings! I was extremely blessed with being featured on NBC Bay Area's Bay Area Proud, which brought some much needed media attention and have been plugging away at this little labor of love ever since! GoFundMe made it possible to found our nonprofit and we have helped feed and provided veterinary visits for so many animals since then.

Project Open Paw really takes all of my time and is a huge labor of love. It’s become more of a struggle raising funds lately, but I’ve never not been able to feed the dogs and I’ve even been able to expand by taking them to the vet when needed. This is where you all come in.

It takes between $200 - $300 to feed all of my dogs each week. If one of them needs to see the vet, those appointments run $200 on average and emergency appoints run much higher than that. I’ve set these goals to help keeping Project Open Paw thriving:

Goal #1: $40,000 - Will provide food, vet visits, and care for the dogs through the end of the year

Goal #2: $65,000 - Will provide food, vet visits, and care for the dogs through the end of 2019

Goal #3: $80,000 - Will provide food, vet visits, and care for the dogs through the end of 2020. Any additional money will go towards my dream of opening a facility to work out of and shelter animals.

Many have come and gone, disappeared and reappeared from my life, but every one of these dogs has touched me and enriched my life more than words can begin to describe. Please find it in your heart to donate even a few cents so I can carry on my labor of love and sleep with the peace of mind that these wonderful animals slept with food in their bellies. I thank you wholeheartedly and your small donation will make a huge difference in the life of a deserving dog in need of a simple meal. If you can’t donate, please keep sharing our story to help us realize our dream and I will keep improving these deserving angels lives every way I possibly can!

Update 8-10-18

Ever since Gofundme released the Hero story today the donations came pouring in..I am amazed, shocked, and astounded at the shower of support and appreciation for our mutts! Thank you so much to all who have supported Project Open Paw in so many ways..This may be the golden opportunity that gets us into the facility I've dreamed of and prayed for! Thank you God for smiling down on us so lovingly! By the way, the folks at Gofundme contacted me and asked to raised the goal to $100,000 so of course I said yeah! Duh! Please keep sharing these updates in hopes of making it a reality.